


If It Were Meant To Be

by Aurora_Sebastian



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:07:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26747086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurora_Sebastian/pseuds/Aurora_Sebastian
Summary: Adrien’s breath suddenly hitched when he held the black-haired girl's gaze. The deep blue eyes that stared right back at him were hauntingly familiar. It couldn’t be, could it? Memories of swing sets and sunsets seemed to come rushing back to him.Marinette always knew that she would run into him considering the career she chose. She knew that he wouldn’t still be the innocent boy who she brought pastries for. For a moment, time seemed to freeze, as if they were the only two people on the planet and then it was gone.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois/Sabrina Raincomprix, slight Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 18
Kudos: 74





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has been an idea that has been brewing in my mind for a while. I hope you guys enjoy!

Marinette was five when she stumbled into the blond-haired boy for the first time. Her mother had finally taken a break from managing the bakery and gave in to her constant pleas and walked her to the nearby playground. Marinette in all her excitement had run straight into the boy.

“I’m so sorry!”

Marinette helped the boy back on his feet. She felt so bad for knocking him down. Her mother had always told her to look where she was going but she could never manage to do it. Perhaps, she’d learn when she was older.

“It’s okay,” the boy said cheerfully, “I’m Adrien. What's your name?”

“I’m Marinette”

“Do you want to play with me, Marinette?”

Marinette felt a smile grow on her face. A new friend! The playground was usually empty by the time Tom or Sabine had time to take her out to play and even though she occasionally had Nino or Kim for company, those days were few and far between for her liking.

“I like that”

*

“I made a new friend today,” Adrien told his mother on the car ride home, gesturing wildly, “Her name is Marinette and she likes to draw. She also smells like cinnabum”

“I think you mean cinnamon, sweetie” Emilie said.

“Yeah! We played on the swings and everything. It was really fun!”

Emilie smiled. It was great to see Adrien so happy. She was always worried about the lack of social interaction Adrien had with children his own age, but because of her and Gabriel’s careers it was impossible to go out for a picnic or take a trip to the amusement park without the paparazzi hounding them.

So, when Nathalie suggested that she take Adrien to the nearby park during one of her particularly lengthy shoots Emilie thought it was a wonderful idea.

“Marinette said if I come to play tomorrow, she’ll give me macarons. Can I go, Mommy? Pretty please?”

Emilie nodded, “As long as Nathalie is fine with taking you, I don’t see why not”

Adrien clapped his hands together, the glee apparent in his eyes.

“Thank you, Mama. You’re the best.”

Her son had a friend. Emilie’s heart lifted just a little.

*

Soon, they fell into a routine. Nathalie took Adrien to the park around the same time Marinette’s parents did. They’d play for about an hour before they went back home.

Every day, Adrien counted the minutes until he could see his friend again. Marinette was funny and would always bring him something to eat. Sure, he had Chloe and Felix but his friendship with Marinette was something special.

“What do you wanna be when you grow up?” Adrien asked one day.

Marinette stared pensively at the boy for a minute.

“I like clothes. I’m going to make clothes” she declared finally.

“Not a baker? You smell like a baker”

“That’s because mama and pappa are bakers. I live in a bakery Adrien, duh. What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“I don’t know. Hey! If you aren’t going to be a baker maybe I can be one”

“I don’t know about that Adrien. Pappa told me that if you want to use the stove you have to be this tall” Marinette said standing on her tiptoes and raising her arm to indicate just how tall you had to be, “You can’t be a baker if you can’t use the stove”

Adrien frowned, “Do you think I’ll be able to grow that much?”

“You won’t be taller than me but maybe you can eventually use the stove” Marinette said.

“Nuh uh. I’ll definitely grow taller than you” Adrien insisted, preparing himself for Marinette’s defence.

In the distance, Nathalie silently watched the two children, knowing that this friendship would be short lived. Gabriel was planning to launch his new kids’ line and he thought it was appropriate to have his own son model the clothes. After all, Adrien did inherit his mother’s looks.

Nathalie knew too well what was going to happen to Adrien’s schedule. There were very few children who had time to maintain personal relationships with friends who didn’t belong to similar social circles after they were pushed into stardom. And while Marinette’s parents owned the best bakery in Paris, it was unlikely the duo could meet regularly.

Yet it broke her heart knowing that the friendship unfolding in front of her was heading to its inevitable end. Adrien seemed so happy these days and Marinette was all he could talk about- so much so that Nathalie could practically write a lengthy memoir about the child. And from what she could glean from Marinette’s parents, she enjoyed his company as much as he did hers.

As Adrien ran chased Marinette around the playground in their game of tag Nathalie hoped that they would find their way back to each other once they grew up.

*

Marinette was six when she said goodbye to her best friend. Though, at the time she didn’t know that she wouldn’t see him again in person for years. In fact, when she waved him goodbye, she had promised to bring him passion fruit macarons the next day.

Except he didn’t come to the park the next day. Or the next day. Or the day after that. It wasn’t until Sabine sat her down and explained that Adrien was now a model and wouldn’t be coming to the park anymore that Marinette stopped waiting for him. But she would still hope that he would come see her. Every time she saw a tuft of blond hair she turned to check if it was him, but it never was.

Marinette came to terms with the fact that she probably wouldn’t see him in person in the near future. Though, she couldn’t miss his pictures on her various fashion magazines. Some days her friendship with Paris’ sweetheart almost seemed like a pleasant dream.

Besides, she really didn’t have time to reminisce over the past anymore. Ever since she had been given her Miraculous, her days seemed to zoom past her. Between school, preparing for college and her nightly patrols with her new partner, Chat Noir, Marinette hardly had a moment to herself.

“Do you think we know each other in real life?” Chat Noir asked as they sat side-by-side on their favourite rooftop in the city.

“Chat, you know we can’t know each other’s identities” Ladybug said in a reprimanding tone.

“I know that. But it would be cool if we knew each other. Maybe, we’ve passed each other on the streets. Maybe we’ve eaten at a bakery at the same time. Maybe we go to school together” he mused.

“Maybe we’re friends” Ladybug added, a slight smile tugging at her lips. As long as this conversation didn’t get too personal, they wouldn’t be risking anything.

“I know we’re not”

“Why not?”

“I don’t have many friends,” Chat Noir said sadly. There was something about the way he looked wistfully at the city below them that pulled something in Ladybug’s heart.

She imagined what life would have been without Alya’s encouragement and courage or Nino’s loyalty. Rose, Juleka, Nathaniel- all her classmates were precious friends who stood by her side when things went wrong.

“I’m your friend” Ladybug whispered as she reached out to pat Chat on the back.

“Thanks, milady”

Chat Noir was glad that he had his lady by his side at least. Truth be told, ever since his mother died his father had almost caged him in his routine. His life as Paris’ vigilante was one of the only things that kept him sane. The freedom it gave him, even for a few hours was like a breath of fresh air.

Even when he finally rebelled and insisted that he go to a public school nearby, Adrien was not able to make friends. Maybe it was the fact that he was a celebrity, maybe it was that he didn’t really know how to talk to people his age, but Adrien came across as stand offish and an exceedingly private person to his peers despite the intentions in his heart.

He wished making friends was as easy as it was when he was young. A simple ‘Do you want to play?’ was enough to earn him his closest companion when he was five. He wished he could go back to the days when he would play with Marinette in their beloved park.

His only solace was that he would have Chloe for company at college. Maybe he could have a fresh start. Chloe was always bragging about how popular she was in school. She could probably teach him how to make friends, right?

“Come on, Kitty” Ladybug said as she got back on her feet. She grinned as she extended her hand to him, “we’ve got a city to patrol.

*

“Alya! I made it on time today” Marinette exclaimed as she entered the classroom. It was a challenge, but despite waking up half an hour late she managed to get to class with ten minutes to spare.

“Not an accomplishment considering it’s the second day of college, babe” Alya said. She was accustomed to Marinette’s tardiness and was mildly surprised she was on time, but she wouldn’t tell Marinette that.

“Nino, your girlfriend’s being mean” Marinette whined as she took a seat next to Alya.

“I’m with Alya on this one, Mari” Nino said.

Their conversation came to a halt when they heard a screech from the front of the classroom, only to see Chloe marching towards them with a boy in tow. She wore an expression of arrogance and self-righteous anger. Alya sighed out loud, knowing this meant Chloe was about to monologue.

“You guys said I was lying when I said I knew Adrien Agreste. You said that I should stop making things up because there was no way I could have him as a friend-“

“Actually, we said there was no way you could have friends” Nino quipped.

“Well, jokes on you- because I’m Adrikins best friend. Tell them Adrien”

Adrien felt cornered all of a sudden. He had not expected his morning to fold out this way. Chloe had insisted he meet some of her old school classmates and he thought it would have been an opportunity for him to meet some new people.

The trio in front of him seemed nice enough. He had noticed how playful they were with each other when he walked in. He also knew that Chloe didn’t have the best personality, if the number of akumatised villains that went after her were a testament to anything.

“Adrien?” Chloe nudged.

“I’m Chloe’s friend, Adrien” he said at last. “It’s nice to meet you. I hope we can get alon-“

Adrien’s breath suddenly hitched when he held the black-haired girl's gaze. The deep blue eyes that stared right back at him were hauntingly familiar. It couldn’t be, could it? Memories of swing sets and sunsets seemed to come rushing back to him.

Marinette always knew that she would run into him considering the career she chose. She knew that he wouldn’t still be the innocent boy who she brought pastries for. For a moment, time seemed to freeze, as if they were the only two people on the planet and then it was gone.

“Hi Adrien. I’m Marinette. It’s nice to meet you too”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case you guys didn't get it, Adrien basically went to a different high school than the gang.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and let me know what you think.
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Idiots figure out college

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so college began recently for me and I kinda had to figure out how exactly it worked, all things considered. But, here's the new chapter, I hope you like it!
> 
> :)

Alya didn’t really know what was going on with her best friend and Paris’ number one model but she intended to find out. From the moment they had their shy introductions, nearly anyone with two and a half brain cells could notice the weird connection they had with each other.

Which begged the question, what was the weird connection they had with each other?

“So, Adrien, what are you studying?” Nino ventured as he turned around to face the boy sitting on the bench behind him.

“Business. But, I’m also studying fashion design”

That made sense considering the fact that his father controlled the largest fashion empire in France. From the little she knew about Gabriel Agreste, Alya was sure he wasn’t the sort of person who would let his business fall into someone other than his own son’s hands.

“Marinette is studying fashion design as well,” Alya gushed, “She’s the best designer there is”

“She’s a great designer. Which really is a shame considering the tacky clothes she wears herself” Chloe drawled.

Alya and Marinette shared a look. Was that a compliment from Chloe? Chloe hadn’t been exactly known for being nice to people. 

“Thank you?” Marinette said skeptically, just as the teacher entered the classroom.

Alya shook her head as she took in what just happened. College was going to get a lot more crazy than what she anticipated. 

*

Adrien felt a strange sort of happiness running into Marinette at his English class, even though they didn’t get to talk much. He felt a greater happiness knowing she would probably be sharing more than a few classes with him.

And he was making new friends too. The boy, Nino, had given him his number after English class with the promise of a possible hangout later. Things were going to work out for the better from now on. He could feel it.

“Hey Chloe, why didn’t you like those guys back in high school?” Adrien asked as he walked her to the next class. 

“I didn't like anyone in my high school. I was a little bitch,” Chloe said matter of factly, “I hoped I had changed during summer. But I clearly didn’t, considering that display I put on this morning. I don’t know. The moment I saw them, that mean girl in me just took over.”

“You’ll get there,” Adrien said, smiling at his friend, wondering what had caused her sudden road to introspection. Whatever it was he was glad that she was trying to get better. He waved her goodbye at the entrance of her classroom, before heading off in the direction he needed to go.

Maybe, if he had put in some more effort into being approachable he wouldn’t have had such a lonely high school life.

He sighed. There was no point dwelling on this now. He had to get to his Fashion Theory class. Clearly, he wasn’t paying any attention to his surroundings as he collided with someone as he reached the entrance.

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as he realised he had crashed into Marinette.

“We have to stop running into each other this way” she said, smiling at the absurd coincidence.

“Yeah, but this time I’m the one to blame” Adrien replied as he bent down to pick up the book she had dropped. 

Marinette shook her head dismissively, “I didn’t run into you that much when we were kids.”

Adrien laughed, “Oh no, I genuinely thought my skull had to have cracked a little from the number of times you ran into me as a kid”

“Oh really? Poor you. At least you didn’t get pushed of off a slide”

“And I apologise for that, I simply did not know that you would fall”

Marinette chuckled as she took a seat among the middle rows. She gestured at him to sit beside her. As Adrien took a seat beside her, he was glad that he finally had someone to talk to during class. 

*

“You were friends with him as kids and you never cared to mention it to me?” Alya demanded as they walked back to the flat near campus that they were renting.

Nino did feel sorry for Marinette, to be subjected to Alya’s cross examination. He knew what it felt like to be in her shoes a little too well. 

His girlfriend liked knowing things. She was passionate and strong, qualities that he really admired in her. Her undying dedication to the Ladyblog was a testament to her journalistic talent. But, her passion sometimes carried over to her everyday life and Alya couldn’t really tell the difference between an interview and a conversation.

“I honestly didn’t think it would be important. We were six. We drifted apart. I don’t see how it’s important anymore” Marinette protested.

“What’s important is the fact that we still don’t have a roommate for our spare room,” Nino chimed in, hoping to take some of the heat off his friend.

“Oh yeah, I had put up an ad online. I’ll see if anyone has replied” Alya said as she pulled out her phone, “Speaking off, when are you actually gonna move in ‘Nette?”

“Probably, this weekend”

Marinette was supposed to move in the week before class started, but she had gotten so busy buying school supplies and familiarising herself with her courses, on top of designing Kitty Section’s new costumes and protecting the city of Paris in general, that she really couldn’t get around to making all her stuff up.

“Need any help?” Nino asked.

“Help would be appreciated,” Marinette admitted. She knew for a fact that it was near impossible to get this done on her own.

“We’ll come around then, won’t we, babe?” Nino said, facing his girlfriend.

“Yeah, of course. I’ll call up the gang. We can have a sleepover at our place later”

Marinette smiled, thanking the stars once again for her lovely friends.

“Thanks so much guys! This is my stop, I’ll see you tomorrow?” she said, stopping in front of the bakery.

“See you!” Alya called as the couple continued their walk back to their newly rented home.

Marinette took the backstairs entrance to get to her room, not wanting to disturb her parents during rush hour. But, then again, the bakery was almost always busy. Marinette sighed as she plopped down on her chaise, relieved that the day was drawing to a close.

“You okay, Marinette?” Tikki asked, whizzing out of her handbag.

“Yeah. Just tired, I didn’t expect college would be this tiring,” Marinette confessed. She knew it was partly because she hadn’t really got back into ‘work’ mode from having spent most of her summer break doing things on her schedule.

“So, that boy, Adrien. Are you guys going to be friends now?” Tikki questioned, and Marinette was sure there was a tiny hint of hope in her voice.

“I mean I don’t know Tikki, we were friendly today, but that was probably because he didn’t really know anyone in class yet”

“Do you want to be?”

Before Marinette could answer, she heard a familiar beep on her phone. An akuma alert. 

“Tikki, spots on!” 

*

Ladybug landed on the roof of a nearby building as she watched the akumatized villain turn the civilians nearby to stone.

“Purrfect timing, my lady. I was feline rather anxious you wouldn’t make it” Chat Noir purred as she assessed the situation. It seemed the villain had had her advances spurred by the one she admired.

“Those roses in her hair. I’m sure that’s where the akuma is hidden” Ladybug exclaimed as she swung towards her current foe.

Chat Noir leapt into action allowing Ladybug to tackle the villain to the ground before reaching up to snap the flower crown in her hair. Ladybug quickly purified the akuma and restored order to the city.

“Pound it!” 

“Guess we didn’t use our special powers today, huh?” Chat Noir said. It was an easy battle, no need for complicated strategies or twisted plans. Straightforward.

“That is true. I really need to talk to you about some stuff. Let’s meet at the usual place?” 

*

“What’s on your mind, my lady” Chat Noir asked as he landed on the abandoned building that they used to discuss plans.

“We can’t keep doing this, Chat,” she said frankly.

Chat was taken aback for a moment. Doing this? Was she saying that they could no longer be a team? He knew she was put off by his usual flirty antics, which he had toned down as he got older, learning about the lines of consent and harassment. But, he was sure he didn’t do anything to make her rethink their partnership.

“Doing what exactly?” he asked her.

“We’re older now, I don’t think either of us can keep up with the nightly patrolling and only trying to face Hawk Moth when he akumatizes somebody. We need to do this in a smarter way. Look for clues, chinks in his armour. We’re no closer to figuring out how to stop this than three years ago.”

All valid points. She was right, other than goofing off at patrols they hadn’t been looking into Hawk Moth’s identity at all. And while being a superhero did offer him some perks, that’s not why he was given the responsibility. It was to help the citizens of Paris to be rid of the menace that plagued them.

“You’re right. We’re not kids anymore. It’s time we took this a little more seriously” Chat agreed.

Ladybug nodded, “Let’s see what we can come up with this week. Let’s meet up here next Tuesday and share what we’ve learned, unless you know…”

“Someone gets akumatized?”

“Yeah. Well, I have stuff to do today, Chat. I’ll see you later?” 

Ladybug flashed him a smile before she headed home. Chat waited a good two minutes before he took off himself, so as to not accidentally run into her. He didn’t want to risk knowing her identity, however bad he wanted to, unless she told him herself.

“Plag, claws in”

Adrien was exhausted. He sat down on his bed, and took in his room. Adrien was surprised when his father allowed him to stay in a student dorm. After all, he was taking a break from modelling, except for the occasional gig that his father arranged for him, so that he could focus on college and his home was quite far from the one he was attending.

Adrien always knew of his father’s plans for him. He was aware that he would have to run Agreste Fashion one day and to be frank, his future didn’t appeal to him.

“Hey Adrien, I’m taking the cheese, kay?” Plagg called out as he went straight towards the mini fridge in his room.

“Yeah sure, Plagg”

“By the way, how do you know that girl we met today, Marinette, was it?” Plagg asked as he bit into the camembert Adrien had bought.

“We used to be friends as children”

“Not anymore?”

“I hope we can still be friends. She seems just as friendly as she was when we were little kids. She’s gotten a lot more prettier, though. And her sense of humour is great. Not to mention how much she’s into her subject and her goals”

Plag grinned, “Sure, you just wanna be friends with her, lover boy?”

“No, we’re friends. Can you imagine having a friend like her? Things are changing for me Plagg”

Plagg grimaced slightly, knowing just too well the fate of the two. He’d watched one to many Cat Miraculous holders say the same thing. Destiny would pull the two of them together.

And he could finally spend some time with Tikki.

*

Marinette was eternally grateful that her friends had decided to help her move. Though, she was not grateful about the fact that apparently helping her to move was just an excuse to flirt with each other while doing minimal work. 

“Kinda wishing you did this on your own, huh” Luka said as he sat next to her on the floor as she labelled the last of the boxes.

“You have no idea” Marinette replied, “How did you do it?”

“You kind of get really good at moving when you live on a houseboat, though it’s been weird living on land this past month”

Luka was studying music in a college close to hers. While they were never in school together, Marinette was a little disappointed he didn’t go to the same college as he did. 

Luka had always been a source of comfort to her, ever since their first meeting. He seemed to understand her completely and would always help her out in tough situations. She knew that he would always support her, no matter what she did, just as she would support the talented young musician.

“I heard, you were friends with a certain someone, by the way? What’s that about?” Luka asked, mischievously.

“Has Alya told everyone about this. We just met again!” Marinette replied exasperatedly.

“Pretty much”

Sometimes, she really hated her best friend.

“You should bring him to Kitty Section’s last gig,” Luka suggested.

The members of Kitty Section were parting ways, after a relatively successful music career. Juleka was finally pursuing her dream to be a model, Rose was set on pursuing quantitative science and Ivan was studying to be a psychiatrist. 

“Before you guys come back together in twenty years for a reunion?” Marinette quipped.

Luka laughed heartily before getting up off the floor so he could go back to actually working. 

“Shoot him an invite,” he said, extending his hand towards her, “what’s the worst that could happen?”

*

‘What’s the worst that could happen?” Marinette thought that night as she lay on her new bed.

She pulled up Adrien’s contact on her phone. They had exchanged numbers but hadn’t actually texted each other yet.

**_Marinette: hey! It’s Marinette, do you wanna come to a friend’s music show with me next week?_ **

Marinette hit send before she could have any second thoughts about this. He was just a friend. She wouldn’t be this anxious sending Nino an invite. Or Kim. Or even Nathaniel.

Sure, she spent most of her design classes this week hanging out with him. And he had made her laugh at the most inappropriate times in class. But, that was just what friends do? She was clearly overthinking this.

But, when her phone chimed, Marinette felt her heart almost skip a beat. 

**_Adrien: Yeah, sure! I would love to! Text me the details. :)_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so it ends there. Tell me what you think!
> 
> Until next time
> 
> :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Idiots meet new people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realise my chapters are a little too short and I am working on it.   
> This one's a little longer than the usual. I really hope you like it

Chat Noir paced the roof that he was supposed to meet Ladybug on. His lady had a disastrous habit of being late to their patrols and he was sure that today wasn’t going to be any different. He hoped Ladybug had been more productive than he had been this week in their quest.

Chat had scoured the internet for any leads regarding Hawk Moth, but he had come up empty. But, he would be lying if he said he had put all his effort into the task. The upcoming outing he had with his friends was preoccupying his mind. Ever since Marinette invited him to Kitty Section’s last gig, all he could think about was how he was going to present himself. What was the standard etiquette when it came to attending a mini concert?

He had no clue about how to go about it. What do you wear? Do you bring something? If so, what? His overthinking was a plague, and Plagg was not helpful in the least.

“Hey Chat!” Ladybug called as she landed soundlessly next to him.

“M’lady, you’re unusually early” Chat teased.

Ladybug smirked before sitting down on the ledge, “You would notice that I’m only ten minutes late. I’m getting better.”

“Got any leads? I went through a ton of shady articles and posts on the internet, but I really didn’t make any headway,” Chat asked as he took a seat next to her.

“I thought about it. I’m going to assume Hawk Moth is an adult, which means he probably has a job, you know when he isn’t terrorising Paris.”

“What’s your point?”

“Hawk Moth seems to have a very flexible schedule, considering the akuma attacks never seem to happen at a certain time in the day, right? The akuma attacks happen at the randomest of times, which is a pain for us cause we have normal day lives”

“Speak for yourself” Chat quipped.

“So, when we are narrowing our search for them, we can eliminate people with careers that have a fixed schedule,” Ladybug said, a little disappointed that she didn’t happen to have more leads. “I know it isn’t much, I’ve been a little distracted but it’s all I could come up with.”

“It’s a start, though,” Chat said, wishing he had more to say than his pathetic contribution.

“College has really got me swamped. I didn’t know it would be so much work. No one told me you actually have to work in college, it was supposed to be way easier than this. How people have any time to do something is beyond me” 

“I agree. Though, I’ve finally started to make friends” 

“Chat, that’s great!” Ladybug was so worried about her partner being lonely ever since he admitted to not having many friends. It seemed so sad not having people to confide in or to simply be with.

“I’m getting used to it. In fact, I’m hanging out with some of them next week. This is all so new to me. I hope they actually like me”

“I’m sure they enjoy your company. I know I do” Ladybug confided.

Chat was caught by surprise, and gave her a shy smile- a stark contrast to the smirk that was usually plastered on his face. 

“So, about Hawk Moth…” he said, redirecting the conversation to the task at hand. 

They spent a good part of an hour talking about strategies and possible leads they could follow. When they finally decided to part ways, Chat was determined to put more effort on his end. 

*

Marinette didn’t know why she felt so incredibly happy as she picked out an outfit to wear to the gig. Maybe it was because she was happy at her friends’ success of making it so far. Maybe it was the joy of hanging out with her precious classmates, despite it hardly being a week since she last saw them. Maybe it was the fact that Adrien was coming to something with her.

“Mari? You about ready?” Alya asked, peeking into her bedroom.

“Sort of” Marinette replied, smoothening the front of the red skater dress, hoping she looked presentable.

“Girl, you look super cute” Alya said, “So cute that I might leave Nino for you”

“Marinette, stop seducing my girlfriend!” Nino called from the living room.

She let out a small laugh. Grabbing her trusty purse from on top of the coffee table, Marinette walked out of the room so that they could finally head out. 

“Yo, you told Adrien to meet us at the cafe near the amphitheatre, right?” Nino asked, “He’s texted me so many times about what to wear and what to bring. And, here I thought you guys were the childhood best friends”

“He probably wanted a guy’s opinion” Alya quipped.

The simple fact that he used to be a top model who didn’t know what to wear cracked Marinette up just a little. But, then again Adrien didn’t really have many friends except Chloe until recently. He wouldn’t have had many opportunities to go to normal functions like this. She wondered what he would wear to this one.

“That’s Adrien, right?” Alya asked, pointing to the boy in sunglasses and a mask. He was pacing in front of the cafe, pausing every few moments to check his phone.

“Hey man!” Nino called, waving towards Adrien.

“Oh hey, I thought I got the location wrong, you guys are late” Adrien said as he walked up towards them. 

“Yeah, no one gets anywhere on time when they hang out with Mari” Alya said, playfully nudging the girl next to her.

“I’m getting better okay!” Marinette exclaimed.

Adrien smiled at her warmly, amused at her little outburst. 

“Anyway,” Marinette said dismissively, “the band is going to go up soon. We should get our seats”

The amphitheatre was packed, with dozens of people pooling in to witness their favourite local band’s final concert. Glancing around from her seat, Marinette could spot many of her former classmates. She was glad so many people came to show their support.

“You designed the costumes?” Adrien asked, leaning towards her so she could hear him.

“Um, yeah, I did,” Marinette replied, acutely aware of how close he was. Why was she suddenly so conscious of how little space was between them? It was probably the heat. Today was a sunny day. Wasn’t Adrien hot in the black polo he was wearing?

“They look great. You really don’t need to go to college for fashion design, you’re clearly a pro”

“You’re a flatterer”

“I may be, but you’re clearly great at what you do. You’re going to do great things, Marinette. I know it”

Marinette blushed, as she usually did when she couldn’t process a compliment. Before she could reply, she was graced by Rose tapping the mic to announce the start of the concert.

Marinette was grateful, because she was notoriously bad at accepting positive attention.

The concert was great. Everyone was up on their feet, swaying to the music. And when Rose finally thanked everyone for coming, nearly everyone felt the little sadness that came with the end of the band. 

Luka had insisted that they meet backstage at the end of the show. Not that they weren’t going to if he hadn’t invited them. Adrien had tagged along, excited to meet the talented musicians in person. 

“Hey Marinette!” Luka greeted as he spotted the girl.

“Hi Alya. Hi Nino.” Alya said sarcastically.

“My bad, hey guys” Luka laughed, before nodding towards Adrien, “Is this the famous friend that Marinette kept a secret?”

Marinette playfully jabbed Luka’s chest, “I thought you would stop teasing me about this”

“I’m Adrien. You were great out there. I’m a little disappointed the first concert that I’ve been of you guys is your last.” Adrien extended his hand.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, Adrien” Luka shook his hand.

“Where’s Rose and Juleka?” asked Nino.

“In the dressing room. Ever since they started dating, my sister seems to take an unusual amount of time getting ready. If someone asks me, I’m telling them the band broke up cause the two of them spent all our time making heart eyes at each other”

Alya assumed that they were pretending that Luka didn’t spend most of his time making heart eyes at a certain black haired girl in the room. She looked pointedly at Nino who seemed to be trying to fight off a grin.

“I’m going to go say hi to the girls. Nino, come with me” Alya announced, as she grabbed Nino by the hand, pulling him along with her.

“You look pretty today,” Luka said.

“Not nearly as dapper as you look, it’s almost as good as the music you make” Marinette replied.

“I think it’s the clothes. This really talented up-and-coming designer made them.”

“I’m pretty sure you would look just as good in your pajamas”

Adrien’s heart felt uneasy all of a sudden. Luka and Marinette seemed unusually close. It seemed to occur to him that while he spent all his time moping about not having friends, Marinette had spent hers forming precious relationships with the people around her.

But, why did he feel this way because of that? 

“I’m glad you came,” Luka confided.

“Nothing could have stopped me from coming, Luka. You’ve supported me through everything. Showing up and supporting you, it’s the least I could do” Marinette said frankly.

Something seemed to click in Adrien’s brain. Did Marinette like Luka? Like him in a romantic sense? It would seem that way, considering the way they were smiling at each other. There was a warmth between them, a warmth he hadn’t really seen before.

It seemed very normal for Marinette to like someone that way. She was in college. It shouldn’t be that unusual. Logically, Adrien knew this. He should have expected this. Then, why did he suddenly feel so lost?

*

Adrien spent the rest of that evening talking to the rest of the band members. It was a really fun time. It was so nice to finally do things like this. He was sure his father would not have approved, but for a night, Adrien didn’t think of what his father thought of his decisions. He was going to behave like a normal person.

The happiness he felt the night before seemed to have carried over to the next day. He had walked into English class with a bounce in his step. 

“Did you have a fun weekend?” Chloe asked him as he took a seat next to her.

“Yeah, I went to a concert”

“Kitty Section? I was there too”

“I didn’t know you liked Kitty Section,” Adrien said questioningly.

“I didn’t exactly go cause I liked the music, though it was better than I expected” she admitted. Chloe knew most of her classmates were going to the concert, so she had held onto the hope that she would run into a certain someone there.

“I’m early!” Marinette exclaimed as she entered the classroom, with an amused Alya and Nino walking behind her.

“That’s because we had the same first period,” Alya said, shaking her head disapprovingly.

“At least she’s on time this way,” Nino added.

Marinette stuck her tongue out at them before plopping down on the seat right in front of Adrien.

“Hey Adrien, Chloe” Nino greeted.

Chloe managed a smirk and a nod. She wanted to be seen in a better light by his old classmates. She wanted to be better. Ever since that day, she knew she had to improve. She couldn’t be the same old mean girl she always was. 

“-what do you say, Chlo?” Adrien asked her.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening”

“Do you want to go to the bakery nearby after class with us?” Marinette asked.

Chloe paused for a second. This could be her chance. If Marinette eventually accepted her as a friend it would mean that she had changed, right?

“Yeah, I’m down”

*

Alya was surprised that she was hanging out with Chloe of all people. Ever since Adrien had been integrated into the group, he had insisted on letting Chloe join them. She was more surprised at the fact that Chloe was being uncharacteristically polite and calm.

“Has something happened to her? We’ve never had a proper conversation with Chloe before” Alya whispered to her boyfriend.

“People change, I guess” Nino whispered back, even though he was equally confused about her sudden transformation.

In their head, Chloe had always seemed like this unreasonable presence, incapable of being nice.

“You guys aren’t being too subtle, you know,” Chloe said, raising an eyebrow at them from across the table.

Alya sighed, “I don’t know Chloe, you weren’t exactly pleasant in high school”

Chloe nodded understandably, “I was a total bitch, for lack of a better word. A lot of my actions were hurtful and downright mean and I can understand why you’re so wary of me. But, I’m trying to turn over a new leaf. I know it’s too much to ask, however, I hope that we can be acquaintances in the very least”

Alya glanced at Nino apprehensively. He shrugged. But, then again, Nino was always the ‘go with the flow’ kind of guy.

“We’ll think about it,” Marinette chimed in finally, feeling uneasy about the strange tension building between them, “Though, I really hope you’ve changed for the better Chloe”

Chloe, gave them the smallest of smiles.

There weren’t many things she regretted in her life. In fact, for most of her life, Chloe pinned her misfortune on her snarky classmates who didn’t understand how amazing she was or her incompetant father who never did anything right. It wasn’t until she heard her criticism from one of her only friends that Chloe realised that maybe, just maybe, she was the problem.

“I am done pandering to your every whim and fancy. You aren’t my world, Chloe and it’s time I stopped thinking it was. You don’t care about me in the least and I am sick of being treated this way”

That was one of the last things Sabrina had said to her. She had brushed it off at the time, thinking it was merely just a one-time fit. But, the loneliness that ensued in the shadow of Sabrina’s declaration was crushing. Chloe had taken the girl’s quiet company for granted for so long that she was so heartbroken in her absence. 

And later, when she finally swallowed her pride and called her, she was surprised to find that her number had been blocked. In fact, all outlets to Sabrina had been closed. She was no longer welcomed in the house and she could no longer message her. Sabrina was moving on.

She hoped she could have one last chance, though. Just to apologise. Just to say how incredibly sorry she was for everything. She didn’t deserve that right but she hoped that she could have it nonetheless.

Chloe hoped that wherever Sabrina was that she was happy and had a much more fulfilling life than what her high school years had been. She couldn’t have imagined, regardless, that she was walking through a doorway familiar to her new found acquaintances.

“I’m so glad you’re letting me rent this room with you. I was really running out of options” Sabrina announced as she entered the residence of the apartment Marinette, Alya and Nino lived in.

*

Marinette was annoyed when the akuma alert flared on her phone. She was in the middle of a very riveting lecture and she really did not appreciate the interruption. There were few classes that she detested with every fibre of her being, but Fashion Theory was not one of them.

“Everyone, get to the safe rooms immediately” Mademoiselle Alarie shouted, as she opened the door waiting for everyone to leave the room.

Hawk Moth was definitely not a student, or one with no respect for the curriculum, Marinette decided silently as she carefully packed up her notes. She hurried towards the girl’s washrooms so she could quickly transform and get about defeating the akumatised villain.

That was until a giant book landed two feet in front of her.

“Don’t return your library books on time? How about I return you to where you came from?” the akumatised villain screamed.

Before she could really respond, Marinette was quite literally, whisked off her feet and taken to a safe distance away from the madness.

“You should be more careful, young lady” Chat Noir admonished. His eyebrows were furrowed and the worry was etched on his face.

Was he like this when he saved all civilians?

“I’m okay now, thanks to you, Chat Noir” Marinette forced herself to answer.

“Are you absolutely paw-sitive?” Chat asked, the smile returning to his face.

“Yeah, for sure,” Marinette replied, hoping he would hurry back so she could transform. “In fact, I’m feline purr-fectly fine”

Marinette cringed as she used one of the trademark jokes Chat had always said.

Chat grinned, finger gunning her before he left to deal with the crisis at hand.

“That was a bad joke, right?” Marinette asked Tikki as she finally reached a secluded area.

“It definitely was” Tikki grinned.

“Agh! Whatever. Tikki, Spotts on” 

*

The akumatised victim had taken a while to defeat and in retrospect, Chat Noir admitted that it was because he wasn’t on his A-game. He had never considered the possibility of people he knew being in danger because of Hawk Moth’s schemes, but it was true.

Marinette was in serious danger.

He knew Ladybug’s Lucky Charm would get everything back to normal, but the feeling of panic when he saw Marinette in harm’s way was so visceral that he was still so anxious about her. 

Class was dismissed soon after the akuma attack and he didn’t bump into her for the rest of the day. She had texted a thumbs up emoji on the group chat, but Marinette seemed like the person who didn’t really let people catch on about how hurt she really was.

Which was why he found himself on the railing of her balcony.

“Chat Noir, what are you doing here?” Marinette asked, surprised at her strange visitor. One minute she’s watering her geraniums and the next there’s a cat superhero on her railing.

“I was patrolling the area and I noticed the lovely lady I saved today, so I dropped in to check on you” 

“I thought you didn’t really do patrols anymore?” Marinette asked.

“How do you know that?”

“Oh you know, it’s on the Ladyblog. You guys haven’t really been spotted a lot, lately. Not that I obsessively read the Ladyblog or anything. My friend, Alya, manages it. She’s a great journalist”

“Good to know that you’re keeping an eye out on things” Chat chuckled. “I just wanted to make sure you were really okay”

“Nothing can faze good ol’ Marinette Dupain-Cheng that easily” Marinette replied, “These plants won’t survive a day without their Mama. My roommates don’t know a thing about plants”

Marinette was actually deathly afraid of losing her precious plants when she visited her parents last weekend. While she knew Nino and Alya lacked a green thumb, she had hoped Sabrina would be a little better. Evidently, she was not and her lilies had certainly paid the price.

“I be-leaf you”

Marinette rolled her eyes. Clearly, her pun earlier was a one-time thing. A pity. Were all the women in his life against the greatest form of comedy to ever exist? Ladybug, Chloe and now Marinette. He wondered what Alya’s stance on puns were. 

“You’re kale-ing my vibe” he said, trying not to laugh at his clever play on words.

“You should stop”

Chat grinned. The knowledge that she was safe was enough. He should probably head back home now.

“I’m sorry for taking so much of your thyme” 

“Chat!” Marinette exclaimed as she watched him disappear into the darkness of the night. His sense of humour was evidently as bad when he talked to civilians, she noted.

But still, it was nice having someone looking out for her. Whether in or out of costume.

*

Adrien was absentmindedly doodling in his Business Studies class when he noticed her walk in. Pristine clothes, neat hair and the fiercest look in her eyes. It had been a while since he last saw Kagami.

He waved at her from where he was sitting, hoping they could sit together during class. He didn’t really have anyone to talk to during the Business type classes he had.

“Hello Adrien,” Kagami greeted seriously as she took a seat beside him.

While Kagami had never really been a close friend, she was a formidable rival during his fencing matches. Though their bond had never really progressed past small talk in between matches and idle pleasantries, Adrien knew Kagami had the type of upbringing he had. 

“How come I’ve never seen you in class before?” he asked.

“I’ve been in Germany, for the recent fencing competition. You would know this if you hadn’t recently stopped competing”

“My father feels it’s best if I just focus on my studies right now” Adrien admitted.

“Mother had other ideas for me. It is well enough I have you as a classmate in the least. A familiar face is always an advantage”

Adrien could imagine how lost his ex-rival felt. He had known the feeling so long, navigating his high school life.

“Do you want to hang out after this class, Kagami?”

“What purpose would that serve?”

“I could introduce you to some of my friends. It’ll be fun, I’m sure you’ll like them”

Kagami looked at Adrien skeptically for a while, seemingly analysing the situation presented to her. Her expression was similar to the one she wore before their fencing matches.

“Alright then, I shall”

*

Marinette stared at the girl sitting beside Adrien. They were all lounging near the campus when he had brought her along. Kagami seemed a little uncomfortable.

“So, Kagami, what do you do?” Nino asked kindly.

“I am a professional fencer. Though, I am studying Business here. Mother feels it best I have some knowledge in that field before I take over the dojo” Kagami replied, her tone flat.

“I used to watch these god-awful fencing tournaments cause Adrikins over here participated. Most of the matches were plain boring. Though, I remember you were quite the show to watch, Miss Tsurugi”

Kagami nodded in acknowledgement. 

While the conversation took a different route, Marinette couldn’t help but notice the loneliness in Kagami’s eyes. She didn’t really contribute and seemed almost hesitant to speak. She may have put up a bold exterior, but Kagami looked the same way Chat did when he talked about his high school life. And Marinette would be damned before she let anyone else feel that way about themselves.

Adrien had his qualities, but a conversationalist, he certainly was not. Marinette stood up and took a seat on the grass on Kagami’s other side.

“I really like your jacket,” she said. “I think you can tell a lot about a person through their clothes”

“Really?” Kagami asked.

“Yeah. Take Nino for instance, you can tell he’s super laid back and has three assignments due tomorrow that he hasn’t started on,” she whispered. “Alya’s wearing a style that looks like she’s an on field reporter, which she is, considering her ladyblog. You can tell Chloe went to an important event yesterday and she’s still not over the high of it”

“What about me?” 

“I think,” Marinette said dramatically, pausing for effect. “You look like someone who’s going to be friends with an aspiring designer with black hair. “

“Aren’t you an aspiring designer with black hair?” Adrien asked, who had been listening in on the conversation.

“What are the chances, huh?” Marinette laughed, at which Kagami smiled the smallest of smiles.

‘ She was pretty when she smiled’ Marinette thought, happy at the thought of making a new friend.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I wanted to introduce all the key players in this chapter.
> 
> I really hope you guys liked it. Let me know what you think.
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been a while, but I had exams this month so I was a little preoccupied.  
> Anyway, here's the new chapter, I hope you enjoy, and tell me what you think.

Nino was fuming when he left the house. He really loved Alya with all his heart but sometimes she could be really unreasonable. He knew that her priorities included the Ladyblog, but to run towards the akuma attack with no regard for her safety. She was so close to being seriously injured today.

They’d had this argument a million times already and it seemed to always have the same conclusion. Alya turning to Marinette to complain about how overblown he was making the issue and him stewing in his feelings for a few hours, only for Alya to promise to be more careful next time, only to go back on her words during the next attack.

He loved being friends with Marinette and having the tight group of friends he had, but sometimes Nino realised that he didn’t really have his ‘person’. He was envious of the fact that Alya had Marinette in times like this, who’d hear her out and just be there for her.

“Nino?”

Adrien was standing a few feet away, holding a bag of groceries.

“Oh, hey man,” Nino said.

“What are you doing? You seem very, “Adrien paused for a second, looking for the word he wanted, “perplexed”

Nino let out a snort. That was one word for it.

“I’m just a little worried about things. You know how Alya is. Always running into the first signs of trouble instead of away from it. “

Adrien nodded. Alya’s journalistic integrity was a well-known fact among their peers. It must be hard when your loved one seemed to always put themselves in harm’s way. Of course, as the person handling the danger, Adrien didn’t really have any one worrying about him. But that was an issue he’d rather not ponder about at the risk of feeling a little too melancholy.

“It must be hard having to accept the fact that she’s going to be in danger because of the path she’s chosen for herself” Adrien said.

“I just wish I could talk about this to someone. Marinette is one of my closest friends, but it sucks knowing that when we fight, she’s going to be there for Alya first. I just want someone to hear me out you know”

“I’m free now, if you want to articulate your feelings”

Nino laughed, “Dude, articulate your feelings? That sounds so fancy. But yes, I’d like that very much”

Adrien was glad that his company was of assistance, in the very least. He spent an hour being Nino’s sounding board as he resolved his complicated feelings about the issue at hand. Nino was glad for the opportunity to finally have a way to actually have someone to hear his side of things. When they finally parted ways, they were both strangely at peace with themselves.

*

Adrien dreaded going home to face his father. He felt guilty at the fact that he didn’t want to see his own father, but he hated entering the mansion that didn’t feel like home since his mother died.

“Your grades are certainly not where they’re supposed to be considering you have a lot of time on your hand to be focusing on just your studies” Gabriel admonished, giving Adrien a onceover.

“I’m sorry, father”

“I cannot believe that I have to see a B on your report card. What has been taking so much of your time, that you are clearly distracted from what I sent you to college for”

Adrien stayed silent. He didn’t know how to answer the question. It was his fault that his grades had slipped. Between being Paris’ vigilante and the thousands of assignments he had to complete, Adrien hardly had time to review his coursework thoroughly enough to meet his father’s standards.

“I knew that you would be influenced by rotten apples in college. This is probably the cause of you hanging out with those wayward companions you’ve been telling me out”

Adrien silently cursed himself for telling his father about his friends. He should have known better than have to tell him about things that went on in his life. To his father, things like friends or fun didn’t exist.

“They have nothing to do with my grades” Adrien said.

“I should have known better than let you live on your own. You probably spend all your time doing foolish things with them, instead of focusing on what should matter to you.”

Adrien seethed. He knew better than to contradict his father. The best way to get through his admonishing was to just let his father talk himself out. The last thing he needed was his father deciding to add more things on his plate if he thought that Adrien was too free.

“I’m sorry, it won’t happen again” Adrien mumbled.

“Move back home,” Gabriel said simply. “If you’re back home I can better monitor your activities, before you get out of hand”

Adrien’s eves widened in surprise. He couldn’t. He didn’t want to. He had finally started a new life for himself, with people who talked to him because they liked who he was and not to capitalise on his image.

“No”

“No? You’re disagreeing with me? Clearly, you’ve been led astray far more than I thought you were. We need to manage this problem before it gets out of control”

“I’m not a kid anymore, father. I apologise for my grades, it has been a difficult year and my Fashion Studies’ course has been a little hard to take in, even with my background. But I am older now, and you should let me make my own mistakes now”

The silence that followed his statement was heavy. Gabriel’s eyes were nearly slits, clearly not used to being talked back to. Adrien certainly regretting lashing out so suddenly, he knew better than to speak to his father without thinking it over first.

“Getting him to move back him seems a little over-board. After all, his grades aren’t bad enough for such a drastic change.”

Adrien had nearly forgot Nathalie was in the room. He was even more surprised that she had stood up for him. There weren’t many instances where anyone really stood their ground against Gabriel.

“What makes you think you know what’s best for my son, Nathalie? Just because you’ve been around for a while doesn’t make you eligible to decide what’s drastic for Adrien. You are my assistant, not his mother,” Gabriel spat out, the disdain in his voice quite clear.

“I’m sorry, sir” she mumbled.

“Don’t talk to her that way” Adrien protested.

“You seem to have forgotten who’s house you’re in Adrien, for you to display such blatant displays. This is the problem with giving children too much freedom. They start to talk back and argue. I sent you to college to study so that you could be a worthy heir to Agreste Fashion, not to talk back to me”

The ugly smile on Gabriel’s lips was terrifying. But it was an expression Adrien knew a little too well. He wished his father would go back to being the person he was before tragedy struck the Agreste family. Back when he was strict and not controlling, or when he’d smile and listen to Adrien’ wild stories.

“Mother would be devastated at the kind of person you’ve become. I’m not moving back home, you cannot make me, even if it means I’ll be sleeping on the streets. I’ll get my grades back up, no problem. But I think it’s best we end our conversation here” Adrien said as he turned around and walked out of the room.

It was probably the first time he had stood up for himself so brashly, but Adrien knew that he could not go back to a life under his father’s thumb again. He had finally tasted the first drops of freedom and he didn’t want it taken away from him.

And while he felt a strange sort of pride to finally be able to be able to gain a little control over his situation, Adrien was still a little disappointed his father didn’t call out his name as he left.

*

“I think I found new information on Hawk Moth,” Ladybug declared, as she landed gracefully on their familiar rooftop.

“Straight to the point, Sherlock,” Chat Noir grinned. He had a couple leads as well.

While their initial investigations had started to a rough start, neither of the pair knowing where and how to start, eventually they began to start looking for more concrete information. Clues that could get them somewhere. It had been a rough year for both of them, struggling to balance college with their ‘extra-curricular’ activities, but they figured out a rhythm and schedule.

“It might be a long shot, but I suspect Bernard Au Claire” Ladybug said.

“Our new mayor?”

“Yeah, ever since his swearing in ceremony, the frequencies of akumas have reduced drastically. Especially since he spent the last four years voicing his dissent against how Mr. Bourgeois wasn’t able to keep the citizens content enough for there to be so many attacks.”

“That’s just speculation at this point. Plus, I don’t think that’s enough motive, is it?” Chat Noir asked. He had noticed that the akuma attacks had decreased significantly recently, which was secretly a blessing, since he was not in the best head space ever since his falling out with his father.

“That’s what I thought at first. But I’ve poured through endless footage of his rallies and speeches and events. Since the Ladyblog accounts the akuma attacks so well, especially the time it occurs. Do you know that Mr. Au Claire has never been seen in public during an attack?”

“And you think that isn’t just coincidence?”

Ladybug nodded. It was a stretch but she believed that Bernard could definitely be a suspect. A strong one. Plus being a politician gave him a good amount of leeway when it came to his schedule.

“Isn’t he giving a speech in a nearby college, tomorrow?” Chat asked.

“Let’s use that opportunity to observe him. Let’s go as civilians, though. It draws less attention to ourselves. Try finding any useful information, and then we’ll convene at our next meeting. Do you have anything?”

“I do, but I want to follow your lead first. I have a theory I’m working on, but it isn’t as concrete as what you have. If it falls apart, we’ll try it my way. Hey, we might run into each other tomorrow and not even realise it”

The smile on Ladybug’s face lit something in Chat Noir’s heart. It had been a hard month for him. While his father had not followed through on his threat to take away his apartment, he definitely needed some money of his own to fall back on.

“Do you have to go already?” Chat asked. He felt unusually lonely, and didn’t want to burden his friends with his new problem.

“Not really. What’s wrong?”

“I just wanted to talk to you for a while. You know, just hanging out for a while. Like the old days. Up for a Chat?”

Grimacing at the bad pun, Ladybug took a seat at the edge of the concrete railing. Chat beamed as he plopped down next to her, happy to spend the evening simply talking about nothing.

*

“Hey, do you guys want to come with me to Mayor Au Claire’s speech?” Marinette asked as soon as the English teacher left the classroom.

“When have you ever been interested in politics?” Alya questioned, knowing a little too well Marinette’s lack of knowledge when it came to the government and diplomatic policy.

“I have always been interested in politics. I am shocked you don’t know this about me” Marinette said dramatically.

“Count me out,” Chloe said. “I am not going to an event against Daddy’s opponent. We had to deal with his ‘woe is me’ attitude for so long after he lost the election”

“I’m out, too” Nino piped in, shaking his head. He had attended enough political events with Alya, when she wanted to try to cover something that wasn’t the new adventures of Paris’ superheroes.

Marinette sighed. Kagami had already texted that she would not attend, something about how every politician was the same and not wanting to waste her time on them. She looked at Alya with the best-puppy dog eyes she had.

“I’m sorry, Marinette, but I need to finish my assignment. I completely forgot to add the citations and it’s due today. If it was any other day, I would have loved to cover it”

She could not believe, literally all her friends bailed on her. Sure, she was going to observe Mayor Au Clair, but she would have liked the company.

“I’ll come with you Marinette” Adrien said.

“Are you sure?” Marinette asked, dubiously. She did not peg Adrien for someone who wanted to go to an event like this. Sure, she appreciated the company, but it seemed like Adrien was just offering out of pity.

“Yes. I was actually going to ask if anyone wanted to come with me before you beat me to it”

“You guys are literally the last people I expected to end up going to this event. I bet it’s going to be super tacky. The suit he wore at the last rally? Atrocious!” Chloe exclaimed as she packed her bag, secretly grateful for the free period she got out of the speech. “Is that why you’re going? To see just how awful people’s fashion taste can be? Cause then you just need to look at whatever Adrien wears when he doesn’t have an outfit picked out for him”

“Why would you attack me like this?” Adrien asked.

“Your Ladybug onesie is a fashion choice. Not a good choice, but one nonetheless” Chloe retorted, pulling out her phone. “Want to see pictures?”

Adrien tsked as he grabbed Marinette’s hand. “We are leaving. Goodbye”

Marinette laughed, allowing Adrien to drag her out of the classroom. The gasps from Nino and Alya behind her was enough to know that she was missing out on some quality content. She reminded herself to ask Chloe for the pictures at a later date.

“So, you’re Team Ladybug, huh” Marinette ventured as they fell into step, already missing the warmth of Adrien’s hand he let go of hers.

The blush that was blooming on Adrien’s face was entertaining in the least. Marinette seemed to do the majority of the blushing when it was just the two of them in the past year.

“Yeah, she’s amazing. Ladybug is so brave and smart. I wish that I was more like her. Chat clearly has a lot to learn about. He was so clumsy at first. But Ladybug? She was level headed from the very start”

‘If only he knew’ Marinette mused silently. She remembered her early days where she was so worried about messing up that she had even tried getting Alya to take over.

“Don’t badmouth Chat. If it weren’t for him, Ladybug would not be able to do the things she did. It’s so obvious that the only reason she’s the hero she is, is because of Chat backing her up.”

Adrien let out a small laugh at that. She wondered why.

“After you, madam” he said as he opened the door of the auditorium, bowing just a little.

“Thank you, kind sir” Marinette curtsied.

They picked the seats near the stage. As they waited for the auditorium to fill up while making idle conversation, Marinette focused on the mayor’s secretarial team. His personal assistant seemed tired and overworked. Marinette knew the feeling too well, juggling everything going on in her life was certainly not easy.

Marinette was certainly not thinking about how close Adrien was to her. There weren’t many occasions she was alone with him, except for a few classes here and there. She couldn’t really put a finger on it, but lately she was so painfully self-conscious when she was around him.

She was also so much more aware of his presence. When they touched- be it an accidental brush against her while walking or a simple high five- Marinette could feel her body tingle. 

Alya had laughed and mumbled something about her being an idiot when she had approached her with her particular problem.

A silence filled the air as the mayor walked up to the stage to deliver his piece. Marinette noted that the mayor seemed much shorter than he did in his pictures.

Did your appearance change drastically when you were transformed? She knew there was mechanisms in place to prevent people from recognising you in and out of the suit. But would that change how you look in terms of your height? From their brief encounters with each other Marinette knew Hawk Moth was taller than your average person, and Mayor Au Claire was a couple of inches short.

“…clearly my efforts to keep the citizens of Paris happy and content are effective. There have been only two akumatisations this month.”

A crash resounded in the room. Marinette gasped as she watched the tired secretary transform into an akumatised villain. It was impeccable timing really.

‘So much for my theory’ Marinette grumbled silently as she crouched down on the floor, following the standard akuma attack protocol to avoid suspicion.

“Three akumatisations, Monsieur Au Claire. I am sick of doing all your dirty work without even a single word of thanks. I am Workahole and I am going to rid Paris off bosses like you”

“Stay here, Adrien. I’m going to sneak outside and set up an akuma alert” Marinette whispered, facing her friend.

“No, it’s too dangerous, Marinette. I’ll do it, I couldn’t have anything happening to you. Don’t move” Adrien said resolutely, holding her gaze. Marinette was suddenly at a loss of words as she stared into his eyes, and for a moment it was just the two of them. All that mattered to her was his gaze.

Adrien gently squeezed her hand before scurrying off in the opposite direction. Marinette could but stare at his back as he ran towards one of the exits.

Her heart clinched just a little. She felt the familiar worry that settled over her when she thought about her friends coming in harm’s way. Sighing, she made her way towards an exit so that she could transform and then take it from there.

*

“Why weren’t you in the auditorium?” Adrien asked her, worriedly, as soon as she found him after the akuma had been dealt with.

“I sneaked out, it was getting a little hard to stay there” Marinette replied.

Adrien ran his hand through his hair as he gave Marinette a onceover, looking out for any tiny scrapes on her. He knew that Ladybug’s lucky charm usually reversed all damage caused due to an akuma attack but he couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to her.

“I’m fine, Adrien” Marinette told him pointedly.

Adrien let out a breath as he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Marinette. He was so petrified when he rushed back to the auditorium to find her missing. Rationally, he knew she was probably okay, but he was not convinced. Marinette was too precious of a friend.

“It’s okay” she whispered, letting herself be held. His breath was frantic and she could practically hear his frantic heartbeat. So, Marinette let Adrien hold her, as she gently patted his back until he got back to a more normal state. She definitely didn’t notice how nice it felt to be embraced like this.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I did that” Adrien said as he drew back, suddenly embarrassed at the contact.

“Classes are probably suspended for an hour. Do you want to take a walk with me?” Marinette suggested, knowing that it would help him calm down. She could probably use the fresh air too, considering how hot it was all of a sudden.

“Yes, I would like that” Adrien replied as he turned towards the college grounds, “Have you heard Jagged Stone’s new album?”

“It was better than his last, I’ll tell you that much” Marinette replied, feeling unusually happy for just a walk with a friend.

*

There was a lot of things Alya noticed about her friends that they didn’t realise about themselves. For example, there was Marinette’s crush on Adrien that she didn’t really understand yet and Kagami’s weird obsession with plaid was definitely symptomatic of a deeper situation that she would not push about until she was ready.

But, she could not figure out for the life of her, what was up with Sabrina. She knew the girl was rather shy and in the past year and a half, Sabrina had opened up to her about a lot of things. She was passionate about political science and was pretty organised. But, whenever Alya talked about their experiences in school or invited her to hang out with the rest of the gang, Sabrina clammed up all of a sudden.

Even Chloe looked like she was sucking on a lemon when she mentioned Sabrina to her and quickly changed the subject. What had gone down between them? The journalist in Alya wanted to find out what had happened, but her rational side told her to let it be so that they could come to terms with it on their own.

Which is why she felt so awkward when she went over to Sabrina’s room, only to find her holding the ugliest keychain she had ever seen, crying silently.

“Are you okay?” Alya asked, uncertain of what to do.

Furiously wiping away her tears, Sabrina quickly stood up, “I’m sorry you had to see this. I’m fine, I was just thinking about something and got emotional”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Alya offered. When she was upset, talking it through with Marinette or Nino always helped her feel better.

Sabrina sighed.

“I had a falling out with Chloe, when college started. I saw this keychain she gave me today and I don’t know, suddenly it all came over me. It was one of the only things she gave me, and I know she only did it because it was so hideous looking, but I treasured it you know? It hurts so much when I hear you guys talking about her”

“Why?” Alya asked as she took a seat next to her.

“She was so mean to me all the time. I just thought it was because that was the way she was, you know? But, she seems so likable when you guys talk about her. It makes me feel so small. Was I so insignificant to her that she couldn’t be like that to me? I’m so sorry I’m being so pathetic”

Alya put her arm around the girl, offering what little comfort she could.

“You know, Chloe only changed so much cause something catalysed that reaction out of her. That doesn’t mean you weren’t worthy of affection or anything. You were just friends with her before she realised that she needed to do better. That isn’t on you. That’s her fault.”

“Can you just let me cry for a while?”

Alya smiled just a little as she let Sabrina let out her emotions, hoping that her company was enough to comfort her.

*

Adrien did not know that finding a part-time job was so hard. He knew he couldn’t let his father control him through his shabby finances anymore. He felt a pang of sadness as he realised his father had not even called to check up on him since their falling out. He had brought his grades back to straight A’s so that there was no reason for Gabriel to demand his return.

Granted, Nathalie did call him nearly every day to get a status report from him, but he knew that that was more to appease her worry and not because Gabriel cared about his well-being. He wished his mother was still around. She would understand.

Strangely, he found himself back in the park where he spent the happier part of his childhood. The old swing set was just as it was. The old memories might be foggy, but the sense of excitement and happiness that he associated with the place was the same.

He was glad to have Marinette back in his life. He was grateful for the changes her presence in her life had brought with it.

“Oh hey, what are you doing here?” a voice called out.

Adrien looked up to see a familiar blue haired boy. He hadn’t really spoken to Luka since the concert, though Marinette constantly brought him up during their conversations. She talked about most of her friends with a degree of affection in her voice.

“I was just roaming around. What about you?”

Luka took a seat on the swing next to him, “I like to come here when I feel a little nostalgic.”

“Is this place special to you?” Adrien asked, surprised that this little park was special Luka as well.

“Not particularly. I used to wait for Marinette here when she was busy with the bakery. She insisted on taking pictures of her costumes in the park for some reason. While Kitty Section had to disband, I miss the excuse to just talk to her. We’re both so busy with college that we don’t see each other as much”

Adrien hated himself for feeling so anxious. He knew that Marinette had other friends, but the fact that this park wasn’t just their special place made him uneasy for some reason.

“I’m really jealous of you, Adrien” Luka admitted.

“Why?”

“You get to see her so often. Marinette is a special girl to me. She just brings out the best out of people. You want to be better for her.”

Adrien nodded. He had noticed that Luka was especially fond of his friend looking at them hang together at the concert. Luka talked about her like he was completely enamoured by the girl. Adrien wondered if that was how he sounded when he talked about his friends.

“Well, it was nice running into you, Adrien. But I have some errands I have to run, I’ll see you later” Luka said as he got up to leave.

Adrien watched him leave. All Luka did was praise one of his closest friends. But, would he have felt so uptight if he had said the same things about Nino or Chloe? Adrien shook his head in an attempt to get rid of his jittery feeling.

Marinette was just a really good friend. Wasn’t she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's that!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> Until next time!
> 
> :)


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